Minimum wage hike dies in Virginia

An attempt to raise Virginia’s minimum wage above the national $7.25 an hour died Thursday in a House committee, sparking anger from Democrats who said the heavy snow shut out supporters.

The proposal from Sen. Dave W. Marsden (D-Fairfax) would have raised the lowest hourly pay in the state by two dollars over the next two years, to $9.25.

“I am very disappointed that the House of Delegates used a snow day to suppress turnout to snuff out debate about the minimum wage,” Del. Robert K. Krupicka Jr. (D-Alexandria) said in a statement.

Regardless of the weather, the bill had little chance in the Republican-dominated House. It passed the state Senate earlier this week along party lines, after a long debate in which Republicans argued that the bump would cost the state jobs and Democrats countered that it would give low-income residents more security and spending power.